


Regen

by AwatereJones



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 15:01:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6663415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwatereJones/pseuds/AwatereJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Found this in my 'not sure' folder from a few years ago.</p><p>Thought I would share it anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Jack goes to a masked ball with theDoctor and River only to see someone familiar in the crowd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Regen

The TARDIS shuddered to a stop as the Doctor whooped with glee.

“Venuaria! Wonderful. In time for the annual masked ball too!” he grinned manically at his passengers.

River rolled her eyes and smiled as she leaned in to kiss her exuberant husband on the cheek before turning to address their other shipmate but he was already fleeing down the corridor.

“What!” the Doctor demanded with a frown when she turned back to glare at him.

 

She found Jack in his room, despondently lying on his bed with his arms behind his head staring at the ceiling of stars that twinkled above him.

“You know that he just doesn’t think sweetie,” she said softly walking over to sit in the edge of the bed.

“How many times did I talk about our first real date? Ianto in his James Bond tux and that silver mask. God, the nightmares I’ve had chasing him through the crowd as he slips through my fingers at every turn,” Jack rubbed his faces in frustration.

The reoccurring dream of chasing a playful Ianto had started not long after he had joined the couple for their trip and was almost a nightly tease. Jack wondered how long his memory was going to punish him for his stupidity at loosing the best thing he had ever come across so thoughtlessly.

“Probably what made him think of it,” she sighed. “You know how detached he can be.”

“I’m not going!” Jack pouted.

“Come on sweetie, you’ll hurt his weird feelings if you don’t” she giggled at the pouting man.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right” Jack sighed reluctantly.

“Come on, we have a few hours until the ball. Just think about it, eh?” she stroked his face lovingly feeling quite motherly toward the immortal.

 

ooOoo

The ball was in full swing and the Doctor soon had River swirling around the dance floor as her springy mop of hair fought the confines of the hairpins. Rich blue silk swished around her in a parody of her name and he couldn’t help but smile softly at the image.

Everyone was dressed in period costume in keeping with a Ball of the seventeenth or eighteenth century on Sol 3. The effect was ruined somewhat but the myriad of tentacles and oddly shaped aliens that had joined the fun but the scattered candelabras and soft light gave the ballroom a phantom of the opera feel that was fed by the multi levelled dace floor.

The servants all seemed controlled as they moved robotically through the crowd surrounding the revellers. A young woman passed him with a food tray and he noticed a glint at her throat. A closer look revealed a clear plastic collar with a small nametag and Jack realised with a start that they were slaves.

Dressed in black suits and white shirts that stood them out from the period costumes, Jack started to absently count the slaves intermingling with the guests and was shocked by the expense being shown.

“Drink Sir?” a soft-lit voice murmured and he turned slowly with growing dread.

He stared mutely at the servant offering him a silver tray of choice.

His pale blue eyes held no recognition but that single raised eyebrow was enough to undo Jack.

“Ianto!” he gasped grabbing at the man who dropped the tray with a yelp of shock and turned to escape Jack’s grip.

Jack found his nightmare come to life as he chased the man in front if him through the crowd, across the dance floor slamming into bodies with hasty apologies before loosing him behind a slamming door.

Jack punched the door with rage before spinning to confront the hand that fell on his shoulder. Recognising the Doctor he let his fist fall before a sob escaped. Grabbing the Doctor’s lapels he shock him gently.

“Did you see him?” he demanded.

“Jack, hard not to the way you both stole the show for a moment” the Doctor admonished.

“Doctor! It was him” Jack wailed in frustration.

They were ushered into a side room when Jack paced with an animal like fury. River and the Doctor watched him with confusion as he growled softly and paused to tear at his shirt collar.

A door opened and a couple entered. Jack started with surprise as he found himself face to face with the crown prince himself.

“Hello there Captain” he grinned reaching for Jack’s hand.

Jack mutely reached back to grasp the hand of a man he had known for years, a man he had fought for and called friend once. A friend he had helped bring into this world when her majesty went into labour at one of these balls three decades ago. 

“What’s going on Jack? You tried to accost one of my pets?” he smiled at Jack, his green eyes dancing with mirth. “He’s back there babbling about the mad “dream” man. Looks like he thinks you’re dreamy or something. Quite beside himself he is!”

“He resembled Jack’s dead lover” River stepped closer to Jack and addressed the couple.

“Really? Ianto? Oh!” the princess clasped her hand to her breast and looked at Jack.

“Yeah!” Jack’s answer came out as a gasp and he turned away from them to rub his face again. 

“I keep dreaming of him at this ball then find a replica prancing about. I’m sorry if I ruined anything. A replica, but it looked so bloody much like him I wanted to look closer!” Jack shrugged staring resolutely at the wall.

The prince motioned to a nearby courtier and another door opened to reveal the servant.

“Come!” the Prince demanded and the servant nervously flew across the room to kneel at his feet. “Stand up and face this man.”

Jack watched with fascination as the servant rose and turned to face him and Ianto’s face come into tight focus.

They stared at one another for a few moments and then a frown flittered across Ianto’s face and he tilted his head in such a familiar way that Jack gasped with shock.

“Ianto” he said softy, stepping in to close the gap between them and reaching out to grip his forearms.

“How do you know my name?” he whispered in confusion as he scanned jack’s face, “How do I know you? Why are you in my dreams?”

Jack reached out and fingered the collar that bore the name “Ifan” before answering him.

“Ifan was your father’s name as it is yours. It is Welsh tradition to call a younger or junior Ifan Ianto. So you are Ianto even if your name is officially Ifan” Jack said softly.

“Welsh? What’s welsh sir?”

Jack felt the floor drop away as Ianto spoke that word with that voice and struggled not to embrace him, which would surely freak him out more.

“The way you talk, the way your vowels roll in your mouth. That is a Welsh accent. You are Welsh, English is your second language, and your first is Welsh.” Jack continued to stroke his forearms softly and maintain eye contact.

“Welsh. Wales. Ah, the dragon heart!” Ianto muttered as he stared at jack’s widening grin.

“But I don’t understand. How did he get here and are you sure this is the same one?” River asked breaking the spell.

“Oh yes! This is Ianto Jones all right. I remember those vowels as well” the Doctor frowned as he openly stared to the young man.

“Jones, Ianto Jones” Ianto turned his head to stare at the Doctor with widening eyes. “Yes, that’s my real name.”

Jack sobbed and crushed Ianto to his chest kissing him feverishly. Ianto squeaked into the kiss then he seemed to melt and become boneless. Then he gave a cry and pushed himself back glaring at jack.

“Who are you, why do you know me and why the fuck was that so familiar!” he demanded in a solid Ianto rage.

“Oh dear” the princess murmured as her husband motioned for answerers.

“Your highness” a new voice filled the room as a large man entered with sweeping bows and outrageous genuflects.

“How does this man resemble a 21st century man known to the Captain and also seems to retain his memories as well?” the prince demanded.

“Ah! Perhaps something overrode his patch? We can fix it …” he stepped toward Ianto as he spoke and froze as a hand grabbed his throat cutting off his words and air supply.

“Patch?” Jack snarled, teeth and fury causing the man to yelp.

“Er, yes. We patch over their memory cortex as part of the regeneration process when we first fix them” he rubbed his neck as he warily stepped back from the still snarling man who only gave up his hold when River has grabbed his arm.

“Regeneration. Oh dear, these are not clones are they! They are reclaimed remains” the Doctor realised the danger they were in and started to pull both of this companions toward the door.

“No! I’m not leaving without Ianto. He’s mine!” Jack roared shaking the Doctor off.

“Could someone please tell me what is going on here!” the royal voice overrode everything and even the doctor stopped moving.

“Sire, your re-gen is starting to override his patch so his previous life is bleeding into this consciousness, this is rare but fixable. That is why we try to obtain ancient bodies to resurrect as there are fewer trigger points but for some reason there has been a mistake and this re-gen is not 21st century as advertised or this man would not be calming him. The way the re-gen is reacting leads me to believe this man’s claim of ownership. I don’t know what happened” he wailed.

“Let me guess. You purchased 21st Century chryo-chambers with the word UNIT stamped on them and this is one of the bodies you thawed and then regenerated with nanytes before selling or gifting as a pet to the royal household. This memory patch is to regress any memory of the previous life and make them more compliant!” the Doctor crowed and he paced the floor.

“Yes. How did you …” the merchant frowned.

“Oh, you would be surprised what I know.” The Doctor smiled softly.

“So he is truly yours?” the princess asked.

“Hey tiger-pants” Jack said softly to Ianto who had stood silently the whole time.

“Cariad?” Ianto gasped with wonder. “I know you! Jack?”

Jack leaned in and kissed Ianto, feeling a long forgotten tug in his gut as Ianto responded. Always the bottom lip. He always sucked in the bottom lip first before his tongue would dance across their teeth. God, he had missed that kiss.

Ianto let loose a moan and lurched into Jack’s body as they fought for dominance, feverishly kissing and stroking each other’s faces.

“Well, I guess that answers that question” she giggled, “Wow! That is so hot!”

“Well yes, that answers one question. The real question is what will happen now!” the Doctor frowned at the owner of Jack’s affections.

“Well. This is awkward” the prince sighed. 

“Hmm” the Doctor hoped this went in their favour as a Jack tantrum could destroy the whole building if Ianto’s place with Jack was denied.

“Obviously he belongs to Jack. I’m not very pleased with you”

“We will supply a replacement free of charge my lord, perhaps also a few more serving girls as they are quite popular with your guards” the large man quivered nervously before looking for an exit.

“Perhaps. Jack, do you have anything to add?” the Prince asked.

“Mine” Jack said between kisses before pushing Ianto back onto a couch with a whoosh of air.

 

.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
And ... then I fizzled out.


End file.
